Housing and attaching means for engine hand-starting auxiliary device

ABSTRACT

A means for attaching a beehive-shaped body directly onto the circumference of a standard pulley and a recoil housing which is attached to an internal-combustion engine equipped with a recoil mechanism and a beehive-shaped body having a spiral groove therearound for accommodating a permanently attached handstarting pull rope. The interior of the housing fits to the spiral land separating the turns of the spiral groove with a clearance which is substantially less than the thickness of the pull rope so that the pull rope does not wind upon itself.

United States Patent 1191 Perry 1 Jan. 7, 1975 [54] HOUSING AND ATTACHING MEANS FOR 3,127,884 4/1964 Rice 123/185 BA ENGINE HANDSTARTING AUXILIARY 3,306,277 2/1967 Gudmundsen 123/185 BA DEVICE 3,375,814 4/1968 Hamman 123/185 A 3,465,740 9/1969 Harkness et a1. 123/185 R [76] Inventor: Donald R. Perry, Manderley P1., 3,518,979 7/1970 Harkness 123/185 R Salem 26426 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: Feb. 9, 1973 523,233 7/1940 Great Britain 123/185 BA 21 A l.1 1 331,182 1 pp 0 Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre 4 Related plication Data Assistant ExaminerWilliam Rutledge [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 197,393, Nov. 10, Iw y, g pa & ri n 1971, Pat. No. 3,716,039, which is a egrginutiog-in-sart of Ser. No. 31,620, April 27, 57 ABSTRACT a one A means for attaching a beehive-shaped body directly [52] U S Cl 123/185 A l23/185 BA 123/198 E onto the circumference of a standard pulley and a re- 51] lrit. Cl. Hi F02n 3/02 9 which i attaihed [58] Field of Search 123/185 A 185 B 185 BA combustion engme equ1pped w1th a mood mechanism G 185 179 198 and a beehive-shaped body having a spiral groove therearound for accommodatmg a permanently at- [56] References Cited tached hand-starting pull rope. The interior of the housing fits to the spiral land separating the turns of UNITED STATES PATENTS the spiral groove with a clearance which is substan- 2,374,685 5/1945 KlS SCI CI Ell l23/l85 G [ially less than the thickness of [he pull rope so that fifil1 g: the pull rope does not wind upon itself. 2,942,599 6/1960 lrgens 123/135 BA 10 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3,858,566

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 HOUSING AND ATTACHING MEANS FOR ENGINE HAND-STARTING AUXILIARY DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application Ser. No. 197,393, filed Nov. 10, 1971 and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,039, dated Feb. 13, which is a continuation-in-part of my prior application Ser. No. 31,620, filed Apr. 27, 1970, and now abandoned, both prior applications relating to devices for hand-starting internal combustion engines which are typically used for powering small tractors, cultivators, mowers, boats, snowmobiles, and the like, and particularly relating to devices which are selectively attached to relatively small internal combustion engines for use with a pull rope in hand starting thereto.

The invention relates to attachment means for attaching such hand-starting devices directly to the pulley of a hand-started internal combustion engine.

This invention additionally relates to housings for such hand-starting devices equipped with a recoil spring and a permanently attached pull rope. It particularly relates to closely fitting housings which prevent turn-upon-turn binding of the pull rope when wound upon a pulley device.

2. Description of the Prior Art Such hand-started internal combustion engines, whether two-stroke cycle or four-stroke cycle, require maximum sustained power input for overcoming resistance created by compression and friction of engine parts during the initial phase of the starting process. A plurality of revolutions, generally two or three, are re quired before firing begins and the engine is able to contribute its own power toward its rotation. It is at this point that the starting device should impart decreased power input and increased rotational velocity.

Devices in the prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,622,289 of Victor B. Nelson, have combined high initial power input with immediately decreasing power input and rapidly increasing rotational velocity. The Nelson device, designed nearly 50 years ago, was intended for a small portable engine of the kind used for propelling canoes, rowboats and the like when such engines were slow in rpm and low in brake horsepower so that initial firing could occur earlier than in the relatively highcompression, high speed, and high brakehorsepower engines of the present day when 100 H.P. outboard engines are becoming common on small boats. For a frusto-conical Nelson body having a base diameter of 6.2 inches as measured from center to center of the pull rope therealong, the cumulative circumference, C, of the spiral groove, as measured by the length of wound pull rope thereupon, is given in inches in terms of turns, T, through five full turns, as: C= 16.4 70.84

Specifically, when the bell-shaped Nelson body has made one complete revolution, the pull rope has moved so far inwardly toward the axis of the body that its leverage has significantly decreased, with corresponding decrease in available power input to the engine. Because firing rarely begins within a single turn the loss in leverage seriously impairs the available power input before firing begins and also attempts to initiate relatively rapid rotation prematurely, particularly when the device is used for attempting to start larger engines having relatively high brake horsepower ratings and compression ratios.

A problem arises in use of the bcehive-shaped body of my prior invention because (1) it requires a specific nut-and-bolt arrangement with which some pulleys are not equipped and (2) the design therefor requires a relatively heavy material which produces a balance problem, particularly with higher RPM engines. A simple, lightweight attachment means for a beehive-shaped body is consequently needed for engines having other pulley mountings and for engines operating at high speeds.

Moreover, conventional automatic rewind systems for hand-started conventional engines encounter a major problem. When the pulley moves through the automatic rewind stage, the pull rope winds upon itself. When the rope is pulled, friction occurs as one turn of rope wedges between the sides of the pulley and a preceding turn and binds against a preceding turn. While the engine exerts its compression stroke, the rope draws tighter as slack is taken up through this wedging and binding of one turn of rope upon underlying turns. This process causes the rope to tend to fray and the operator to tend to pull against himself. Human energy is thereby wasted, and both patience and physical endurance are strained. Large numbers of automatic rewind systems for hand starting engines are presently in use with pull ropes and are plagued with thisproblem. A need evidently exists for a means capable of ensuring smooth, automatic winding and rewinding of a pull rope without binding and wedging thereof, particularly because increasing numbers of women are operating small tractors, large lawnmowers, fast outboard motorboats, and rototillers, for example.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide an attaching means for a beehive-shaped body to the pulley of a hand-started internal-combustion engine so that the entire energy-input control device is light in mass and is adaptable to all hand-started engines equipped with a pulley.

It is an additional object to provide a recoil housing for a beehive-shaped body, mounted upon a handstarted internal-combustion engine having an automatic rewind system, that prevents binding and wedging of the pull rope upon underlying turns.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The manual starting device for an internal combustion engine of my prior invention comprises a beehiveshaped body which is coaxially attached to the crankshaft of the engine and has a spiral groove of sufficient width to accommodate a pull rope. This groove has a double width along an initial portion of its length at the base of the body and terminates in a pull notch at the apex thereof within four full turns.

For a body having a base diameter of 6.2 inches as measured from center to center of the pull rope therealong, the cumulative circumference, C, of the spiral groove, as measured by the length of wound pull rope thereupon. is given in inches in terms of turns. T, as: C=20.0 T or, as cumulative radius. as: R 3.18 T-".

By integrating the expression for the radius through any selected number of turns and multiplying the result by the pulling force upon the rope, the cumulative power input to the engine at that selected point can be estimated. It is important that the power input be as high as possible before firing begins and that rotational velocity increase thereafter but not therebefore.

The beehive-shaped body is provided with a means for simply and rapidly attaching it onto the crankshaft of an engine. This crankshaft attaching means comprises a central well which is open on the apex side of the body and an annular slot that is open on the base side of the body, adjacent to the engine, the base of the well being substantially flush with the base of the body and the sides of the well forming the sides of the slot. A central opening in the base, and therefore also in the well, fits the crankshaft whereby there is coaxial fitting thereto. The annular slot fits over the hub of the pulley of a popular existing type of internal combustion engine when the beehive-shaped body is superimposed over the hub. A dowel in the annular slot engages the notch in the pulley to prevent relative rotation. By fastening the nut to the crankshaft, the attaching operation is completed.

This invention additionally comprises a lightweight, universally useful pulley attaching means for attaching the beehive-shaped body directly to the circumferential groove of any pulley on a hand-started internal combustion engine, as an alternative to the crankshaft attaching means. The pulley attaching means is an arrangement wherein the beehive shaped body is provided with a recess in the back which is superimposed over an existing pulley and is connected to a pair of opposed shoes, which are fitted into the rope channel or groove in the existing pulley, and two radially disposed bolts. As the bolts are tightened, the end of each bolt seats against the bottom of the rope channel and pulls the shoes up against the outer recessed portion of the beehive shaped body until the body is secure and in a stationary position with respect to the pulley. A lightweight material, such as nylon or plastic, is preferably used for the shoes, thusly avoiding a balance problem.

This invention further comprises a housing which covers the beehive-shaped body of my prior invention and is attached to the engine itself. Its interior surface closely approaches the the spiral land separating the continuous spiral groove thereof with a clearance which is less than the thickness of the pull rope whereby the pull rope is kept separate, one wind from the other, in this continuous groove. This rewind housing also comprises a conically shaped neck which provides space in two dimensions for both transverse and lateral angular movement of the rope as if ascends the spiral groove of my beehive-shaped body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1. is a side elevation of an internal combustion engine having the beehiveshaped body as a manual starting device attached to its crankshaft.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the beehive-shaped body in a convenient starting position.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the beehive-shaped body at the position where firing of the engine approximately begins.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the pulley and crankshaft of the engine shown in FIG. 1 with the beehive-shaped body in cross section and in exploded relationship thereto.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of my groove attachment means for my'beehive-shaped body, also shown in cross section, on a standard pulley mounted on a typical internal combustion engine.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the pulley, beehive-shaped body, and attachment means shown in FIG. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a typical hand-started internal combustion engine having the rewind housing of this invention attached thereto.

FIG. 8 is cross-section view of the rewind housing, looking in the direction of the arrows 88 in FIG. 7, wherein the rewind housing, beehive-shaped body, and a simple recoil spring type of rewind device are shown in relationship to the crankshaft and one side of the engine assembly.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the rewind housing, looking in the direction of the arrows 9-9 in'FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED' EMBODIMENT The beehive-shaped body 40, as shown in the drawings, comprises the base 42, the apex 41, the annular slot 43 which opens toward the base 42, the well 44 having a bottom which substantially coincides with the base 42 and a circular side 45 which also forms the v inner side of the annular slot 43, and the central opening 46 in'the bottom of the well. Covering the outer side of the beehive-shaped 40 is a spiral groove, consisting of the single grooves 52 leading from the notch 51 and leading to the base groove 53 which is adjacent to the base 42 of the body and has the double groove 54 as the initial portion thereof between a convenient lead-off point 58 and the doubled lead-off point 59 which is in radial alignment with the notch 51.

As shown in FIG. I, an engine 20, such as is used in a typical lawn mower, has a throttle 21 and a pulley 22 which is coaxially attached to a crankshaft 23' and secured thereto with a nut 26. The pulley 22 has a hub 24 in which is a keyway 27 at the lip thereof. As shown particularly in FIG. 4, the annular slot 43 fits over the hub 24 of the pulley 22 so that when the dowel 47 is aligned with the keyway 27, the body 40 is nonrotatably adjacent to the engine 20, the crankshaft 23 being, of course, coaxially inserted into the opening 46. When the nut 26 is secured onto the crankshaft 23, the body 40 is rigidly attached to the engine 20.

A pull rope 56, having a handle 57, is attached at its terminus to the notch 51 in the body 40 and is wound along the spiral grooves 52 and then into the base groove 53 for one full turn to the convenient lead-off point 58. Additional power, however, can be obtained by winding an additional portion along the short double-width groove 54 to the doubled lead-off point 59 so that four full turns of rope are available.

After the pull rope 56 has been pulled, perpendicularly to the axis of the crankshaft 23', through two to three turns, firingof the engine by combustion of the mixture in the cylinders usually begins. At this point, the single grooves 52 of the beehive-shaped body of this invention rapidly progress inwardly toward the notch 51 at the apex 41. Rotational velocity of the engine, as engine power augments hand-starting power,

normally increases at this point, and less pulling power is needed. Thereafter, the pull rope simply maintains a diminishing but steady power input and steadily increasing rotational velocity for the final one or two turns. As a result, the powerful, high-compression, larger engines of the present day are readily started.

The attachment means 90, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 for attaching an internally recessed beehive-shaped body 60 to a pulley 80 which is attached to a short crankshaft 23' of an internal combustion engine, comprises a pair of groove-engaging shoes 91 and a pair of threadably inserted bolts 96. The body 60 comprises an apex 61, a base 62, an internal well 63 having a circumferential side 64 and a base 65, an outer well 66 containing a notch 71 where the rope 56 is permanently secured (for example, with a suitable knot 56a), and a continuous spiral single groove 72 ending in a base groove 73 which merges into a short double groove 74. The lip 75, which forms theouter circumferential edge of the base 62, preferably extends slightly farther outwardly than the corresponding edge of the body 40. The outer well 66 is covered with an apex plate 76 held to the apex 61 with apex plate screws 77. Beyond the base groove 73 and adjacent groove 72 is a land 79.

A typical pulley 80, not a part of this invention, has a rim 81, sides 84, and a circumferential pulley groove with bottom 82 and walls 83. The body 60 fits over the pulley 80 so that the pulley 80 is entirely within its internal well 63, with the base 62 flush with the inner side 84 of the pulley 80.

Each of the groove-engaging shoes 91 is semicircular and has a curved inner edge 92, a curved outer edge 95, ends 94, and sides 93. The inner edge 92 fits snugly against the pulley groove bottom 82, and the sides 93 fit snugly against the pulley groove walls 83.

Each shoe 91 is engaged by a threaded bolt 96 which fits into a recess and hole 97a, 97b bored into groove 73 or 74, the bolts 96 being aligned and disposed opposite to each other. Alternative arrangements are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 for securing the bolts to the body 60.

In the recess and hole 97a at the left sides of FIGS. 5 and 6, the bolt 96 fits loosely with respect to the body 60 but threadedly engages to the threaded sides of the corresponding hole 97a in the shoe 91 which extends completely therethrough to its curved inner edge 92. The left-hand bolt 96 is secured to the body 60 because it is retained by a retaining collar 98 which abuts the head of the bolt 96 and is threadedly inserted into the threaded recess 97a after loose insertion of the bolt 96. However, the bolt 96 need not extend to the end of the hole 97a in the shoe 91 on the left sides of FIGS. 5 and 6, so that the bolt 96 exerts an inward push against this left-hand shoe 91 when rotated counterclockwise, as with a screwdriver inserted through collar 98, thereby forcing its inner edge 92 against the bottom 82 of the circumferential pulley groove.

In the recess and hole 97b, the bolt 96 is secured to the body 60 by threadedly engaging the threaded sides of the hole 97b but fits loosely within the corresponding smooth-sided hole 97b in the shoe 91, on the right sides of FIGS. 5 and 6. The end of the bolt 96 contacts the bottom of this hole. When the left-hand bolt 96 is turned clockwise, the bolt 96 pushes against the bottom of its hole and forces the inner edge 92 of this righthand shoe 91 against the bottom 82 of the circumferential pulley grooves.

In consequence, suitable rotation of the bolts 96 for each arrangement causes them to push both shoes 91 inwardly toward the center of the pulley 80 and against the bottom of the circumferential groove and thereby push the ends 94 fairly close together, leaving a space 99 therebetween.

In this manner, the internal-recess embodiment of my beehive-shaped body may be secured directly to the pulley of an internal combustion engine so that the body 60 can be used with any engine having a short crankshaft 23.

The rewind housing 130 is also used with an internally recessed beehive-shaped body 100 which can be used, when suitably adapted as to shape and dimensions of the internal recesses, with any rewind or recoil mechanism of appropriate size and shape, as shown in FIGS. 7-9. The body 100 is shown with an exemplary rewind mechanism 120 of the ball-overriding clutch type on a typical internal combustion engine 20. Other mechanisms, such as a centrifugal pawl device, are equally suitable, of course.

The body 100 has an apex 101., a base 102, an internal well 103 with sides 104 and bottom 105, and a central cavity 106 in the bottom 105. The body 100 has a means (not shown in the drawings) for fixedly attaching a pull rope 56 at the apex end of the spiral single groove 112 and a circumferential lip 115 which radially protrudes slightly beyond the next higher land 116.

The rewind mechanism comprises a fixed spring spool 121, which is attached to the side of an internal combustion engine 20" with screws 122, a rewind spring 123 which is attached at one end 124 to the spool 121 and at the other end 125 to the body 100, a clutch housing 126 which is attached to the body 100 with screws 127, a clutch pawl and collar 128 which is attached to the crankshaft 23", and a clutch ball 129 which rides upon a cam 129a. This rewind mechanism 120 allows free rewind motion but provides clutch engagement when the ball 129 is wedged by the cam surface 129a.

The rewind housing 130 comprises a hemispherical cup portion 131 and a neck portion 132, each being open along the elongated inner side adjacent to the engine 20" and having a narrow attachment strip 133 along the perimeter of the entire open inner side with openings therein through which bolts 134 are inserted for attaching the housing 130 to the side of the engine 20". The cup portion 131 has a convergingly curving side 135 extending outwardly therefrom and a flat tip 136 having a plurality of openings 137 therein.

The neck portion 132 has a conically shaped side 138 and a small rope opening 139 through which the rope 56 moves and against which the handle 57a is seated by the rewind mechanism. The neck portion 132 permits lateral movement of the rope S6 to occur, as illustrated at position 56a in FIG. 9, so that binding is further minimized. There is a one-eighth inch clearance between the land, such as land 116 shown in FIG. 8, and the interior surface of the hemispherically disposed side 135 of the rewind housing 130 up to the point where the pull rope 56 feeds into the double-width groove, at which point there is a slight recess which allows the rope 56 to double on itself to complete four turns. The

lip 115 also comes to within approximately one-eighth of an inch from the surrounding interior surface of the housing 130.

In consequence, a pull rope 56, having a diameter of approximately three-eighths of an inch, is unable to pass over one land to the next and thus double upon itself in a single groove 112 and is also unable to escape from the widest portion of the body 100 and thus become wedged between the body 100 and the adjacent side of the engine 20". An operator is thereby able to utilize the sustained leverage principle of my invention in repeated starting pulls on the handle 57a without hindrance from wedging or escape of the pull rope 56 from the grooves 112 of the body 100.

What has been described hereinbefore may be modified by those skilled in the art, but what is intended to be protected as coming within the scope of the invention is defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a beehive-shaped body which is superimposed over a crankshaft and a coaxially attached pulley of a hand-started internal combustion engine as a manual starting means therefor, said pulley having a circumferential groove, an attachment means for attaching said beehive-shaped, body directly to said pulley, comprising:

A. a pair of shoes, disposed in mutually opposed relationship and seated within said circumferential groove, and

B. a pair of threadably inserted bolts which push said shoes against the bottom of said circumferential groove and exert an opposing force against said body when said bolts are rotated.

2. In combination with a beehive-shaped body, having a continuous spiral groove and lands therebetween, which is used as a hand-starting device for an internalcombustion engine equipped with a recoil mechanism and a permanently attached pull rope, a rewind housing, comprising:

A. a hemispherical cup portion, having an open side and a convergingly curved side which fits over said body so that the clearances between the interior surfaces of said convergingly curved side and the adjacent lands of said body are less than the diameter of said pull rope,

B. a neck portion, having a convergingly curved side and an open side, which is contiguously' attached to said cup portion and is provided with a rope opening through which said pull rope is passed and against which the handle of said pull rope is seated, and

C. a means for attaching said rewind housing to said engine so that said openside of said cup portion and said open side of said neck portion are adjacent to said engine.

3. The attachment means according to claim 1 wherein each of said shoes is semicircular and has a curved inner edge which fits snugly against the bottom of said circumferential groove and sides which fit snugly against the walls of said circumferential groove.

4. The attachment means accordingv to claim 3 wherein each of said bolts fits within a recess and a hole bored into a groove in said beehive-shaped body.

5. The attachment means according to claim 4 wherein each of said recesses is threaded and wherein each of said bolts fits loosely within said recess and said hole, is secured to said beehive-shaped body by a threaded retaining collar threaded into said threaded recess, and is'threadedly engaged to the threaded sides of a corresponding hole in one of said shoes.

6. The attachment means according to claim 4 wherein a hole in each of said shoes, corresponding to each of said recesses and holes in said body, loosely encompasses said bolt and comprises a bottom end against which the end of said bolt presses.

7. The attachment means according to claim 6 wherein said holes in said body are threaded and each of said bolts is threadedly secured to said body by being threadedly engaged in one of said holes.

8. The rewind housing according to claim 2 wherein said curved side of said cup portion additionally comprises a flat tip having a pluralityof openings therein.

9. The rewind housing according to claim 2 wherein said neck portion permits lateral movement of said pull rope to occur.

10. The rewind housing of claim 2 wherein said attaching means comprises:

A. a narrow attachment strip along the perimeter of entire open inner side of said cup portion and said neck portion, and

B. a plurality of openings in said attachment strip which are suitable for insertion of bolts. 

1. In combination with a beehive-shaped body which is superimposed over a crankshaft and a coaxially attached pulley of a hand-started internal combustion engine as a manual starting means therefor, said pulley having a circumferential groove, an attachment means for attaching said beehive-shaped body directly to said pulley, comprising: A. a pair of shoes, disposed in mutually opposed relationship and seated within said circumferential groove, and B. a pair of threadably inserted bolts which push said shoes against the bottom of said circumferential groove and exert an opposing force against said body when said bolts are rotated.
 2. In combination with a beehive-shaped body, having a continuous spiral groove and lands therebetween, which is used as a hand-starting device for an internal-combustion engine equipped with a recoil mechanism and a permanently attached pull rope, a rewind housing, comprising: A. a hemispherical cup portion, having an open side and a convergingly curved side which fits over said body so that the clearances between the interior surfaces of said convergingly curved side and the adjacent lands of said body are less than the diameter of said pull rope, B. a neck portion, having a convergingly curved side and an open side, which is contiguously attached to said cup portion and is provided with a rope opening through which said pull rope is passed and against which the handle of said pull rope is seated, and C. a means for attaching said rewind housing to said engine so that said open side of said cup portion and said open side of said neck portion are adjacent to said enginE.
 3. The attachment means according to claim 1 wherein each of said shoes is semicircular and has a curved inner edge which fits snugly against the bottom of said circumferential groove and sides which fit snugly against the walls of said circumferential groove.
 4. The attachment means according to claim 3 wherein each of said bolts fits within a recess and a hole bored into a groove in said beehive-shaped body.
 5. The attachment means according to claim 4 wherein each of said recesses is threaded and wherein each of said bolts fits loosely within said recess and said hole, is secured to said beehive-shaped body by a threaded retaining collar threaded into said threaded recess, and is threadedly engaged to the threaded sides of a corresponding hole in one of said shoes.
 6. The attachment means according to claim 4 wherein a hole in each of said shoes, corresponding to each of said recesses and holes in said body, loosely encompasses said bolt and comprises a bottom end against which the end of said bolt presses.
 7. The attachment means according to claim 6 wherein said holes in said body are threaded and each of said bolts is threadedly secured to said body by being threadedly engaged in one of said holes.
 8. The rewind housing according to claim 2 wherein said curved side of said cup portion additionally comprises a flat tip having a plurality of openings therein.
 9. The rewind housing according to claim 2 wherein said neck portion permits lateral movement of said pull rope to occur.
 10. The rewind housing of claim 2 wherein said attaching means comprises: A. a narrow attachment strip along the perimeter of entire open inner side of said cup portion and said neck portion, and B. a plurality of openings in said attachment strip which are suitable for insertion of bolts. 